No More Heroes

The story follows Travis Touchdown, who is a stereotypical otaku – his motel room decorated with professional wrestling and anime collectibles – living in near poverty in the No More Heroes motel of the fictional town of Santa Destroy, California. After winning a beam katana in an internet auction, he runs out of money to buy video games and wrestling videos. After meeting with Sylvia Christel, he accepts a job to kill Helter Skelter, also known as "the Drifter," which earns him rank 11 by the United Assassins Association, a governing body of assassins. Realizing that he has the opportunity to make it to the top, he sets out to secure himself the coveted position of number one assassin in the UAA.

After killing the tenth ranked assassin, Sylvia reveals that if Travis stops killing, he'll eventually be targeted by other aspiring assassins. Travis, now convinced there's no way out, goes on to kill every other assassin except for number eight, Shinobu, whom he spares because he wants her to get stronger. During the 5th ranked battle he meets Henry, a mysterious Irish man who wields a beam katana similar to Travis' own.

Before meeting the top-ranked assassin, Travis calls the number he got from Sylvia's business card, but it connects him to her mother instead, who reveals that the UAA was just an elaborate con set up by Sylvia, who overheard his drunken ramblings and organized his entry so that he could finally have revenge on his former childhood love, Jeane, who murdered his parents. Travis briefly meets Dark Star, the final ranked assassin, who was then swiftly killed by Jeane. Jeane reveals in a fast-forwarded cutscene that she is his half-brother, and her mother killed herself after her father left her for his mistress, which was Travis' mother.

Their father, knowing that she has nowhere to go, had sexually abused her all her life, thus forcing her to become a prostitute to survive and become a killer to get revenge on her father, thus killing their parents in front of Travis' eyes. Jeane almost killed Travis in a final clash, but Shinobu save him and he finally kills Jeane.

The game really ends with Travis being attacked by another assassin while taking a dump in his motel room before Henry saves him, and challenges him to one last fight in the motel's parking lot. It is during this fight that Henry reveals two twists: first, that he is Travis's twin brother, and second, that Sylvia is his wife (which would make her Travis' sister-in-law), and has a habit of disappearing before returning with lots of money (presumably due to conning people). Travis insinuates to Henry that he slept with Sylvia after becoming the #1 ranked assassin.

Still locked in combat, the brothers discuss the nature of these revelations and their situation while they run down a long street. Finally, as the two leap towards each other for the final clash, the screen flashes and is revealed to be a painting hanging in an art gallery, where a little girl, Jeane, and her mother, Sylvia, are observing it.

The Japanese version's instruction booklet, entitled the United Assassins Association Official Manual, contains a small manga which contained much of the backstory about the UAA and Travis' first kill. This manga was not included in the North American release of the game, but is available on the official website.

Characters

Above Travis in the UAA are ten other assassins. The UAA official that provides ranks and sets up matches for the assassins is Sylvia Christel, a "mysterious" and "cold" woman who constantly flirts with Travis. Travis is aided by a weapons maker named Doctor Naomi, former pro-wrestler Thunder Ryu, and a drunk, Randall Lovikov. Naomi sells beam katanas and upgrades for them, Ryu operates a gym and trains Travis – allowing him to increase his strength, combos and health for a small fee – and Lovikov is a drunken old man who teaches new maneuvers and techniques in exchange for Lovikov balls which are scattered around the city.